I knew it was too good to be true. There are lots of benefits in a $80 Billion dam on the Congo River. The construction could be a great economic stimulus package. Plus electricity for millions of people who are in the dark.
There were no plans to include the people. There were no funds to electrify the Congo.
The first meeting leaves much to be desired.
Scramble to Dam the Congo Keeps Africans in the Dark By Terri Hathaway International Rivers, Africa Campaigner
A lucrative hydropower scheme proposed for the Congo River has become Africa's next great scramble. Led by the World Energy Council, major industries, banks, and governments met in London this week to seek their piece of the US$80 billion Grand Inga project - the world's largest hydropower installation.
The scheme is being promoted as a development venture to electrify the African continent, where two in every three people now lack access to electricity.
Nearly a hundred officials and big money interests discussed how to profit from one of Congo's great natural resources, but Congolese officials disappeared shortly after the meeting commenced with no explanation to organizers. Worse, organizers had refused to invite Congolese civil society and area communities, leaving no voice to defend the country's interest.
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